Spirit of Sunset
by Master Maple
Summary: Mako is a newly-chosen Ranger in the town of Nueva Republica when a heavily armed stranger rolls into town, starting trouble wherever she goes. But that's the least of his worries as the Red Lotus gang and a general named Kuvira are on the prowl, waiting to test his mettle and either bring chaos or altogether too much order to the great frontier. An LoK Western AU
1. Chapter 1

Mako knew something was up as soon as he swaggered into the Lucky Hand Saloon. He could feel it as soon as he saw the way the bar patrons very pointedly avoided looking at the back left corner. Squinting to see through the smoky air of the saloon, he also saw a large ring of empty tables surrounding a lone individual who was leaning back in their corner seat, a glass of beer in hand and a hat pulled low over his eyes. Mako decided that he'd better do his job and see if there was any trouble, although he was concerned what kind of display would make the hardened ranch hands, cattle boys and prospectors of Nueva Republica look the other way. Nothing good, no doubt.

He did his best to stride confidently across the room, wary of showing weakness in his first few weeks on the job. Sheriff Lin had seen something in him that made him worth taking on as her new deputy, and he'd spent his first few days learning the ropes of how to be a lawman, feeling a deep sense of inadequacy when he saw how his fumbling measured up to Sheriff Beifong's crisp, cool efficiency. Still, he must have been doing something right, because for some reason she'd shown patience with his mistakes and, at three weeks of service, he'd outlasted all other deputies that Beifong had appointed. Maybe she needed the help to deal with the extra crime. After all, times were tough all over.

As he neared the stranger , he could see why the townsfolk had looked the other way. He was bedecked with weapons from shoulder to hip. A pair of bush knives sheathed on his thighs, a Winchester rifle slung over his shoulder, a sawed-off shotgun resting between his knees, and on his hip hung quite possibly the most ostentatious pistol Mako had ever seen. The metal was polished to a mirror shine, the barrel and cylinder both large, and the grip carefully carved and sanded bone. The weapon was sleek, beautiful, and no doubt deadly. It was also highly illegal.

Mako thought through his options as he stared down at the stranger. He didn't like the thought of getting into a confrontation in such a crowded place, with someone so well-armed. But he couldn't let this stranger set a precedent for the townsfolk, or within a week there'd be two shootouts for every drunken brawl Mako had had to clear up. And besides, he was no slouch with his pistols either. Still, he decided he'd try the come-quietly approach. He walked over to where the stranger was sitting and waited for him to look up.

When he resolutely kept his eyes on the table in front of him, Mako cleared his throat and spoke as politely as he could: "Begging your pardon, Mr…" he said, and watched as the young man-young _woman_ , he realized, as she tilted up the brim of her hat to get a better look at him. She was tough-looking, but had a mischievous gleam in her eye, as her water tribe features knit themselves into a confident grin. " _Miss_ Korra. What can I do for you, Ranger?" Mako felt considerably relaxed by her happy expression, and decided to be direct about the issue.

"Ranger Mako, Ma'am. Just thought I'd ask you if you're aware that it's illegal to openly carry a weapon in this town?" Korra kept on grinning as she idly spun her beer glass like a top. "I do recall reading something like that as I rode into town, yeah." Mako nodded and continued speaking in a more authoritative tone. "Then it'll come as no surprise to you that I'm going to have to ask you to surrender your weapons for as long as you're staying in town."

Korra's expression soured a little at that, although she did retain a small smile as she spoke. "Can't you make an exception, Ranger?" Mako shook his head. "No, ma'am, the Sheriff'd have my hide for a new pair of boots. Either give up those weapons or come with me to the town lock-up." Korra seemed to ponder Mako's request, and his hand involuntarily twitched towards his pistol when she idly gripped the shotgun between her knees, but instead she sighed and slung the shotgun over her other shoulder, knocked back the rest of her drink, and got up. "Fine, but this'd better be quick, lawman. I've got things to do." Mako inwardly sighed with relief and stepped backward, only to bump into one of the town's more disreputable characters, causing him to spill his drink all down his front. The man turned around with venom in his bleary eyes, and two of his compatriots stepped away from the bar and went to join their friend. Mako saw with despair that the three of them were just drunk enough to pick a fight and just big enough to give him some serious trouble.

Mako tried to moderate the situation, bowing his head in apology. "Sorry, sir, my mistake. I'll pay for the drink, tell the bartender to put it on my tab." The men did not look impressed with his attempt at recompense. "You ruined my shirt." The foremost of the three apes growled. Mako didn't like the way his hand moved towards something tucked in his vest. "Hands where I can see them, gentlemen" Mako replied, but the man simply whipped a knife from under his jacket as another drew a pistol hidden in his back pocket and the third simply leapt at him with fists flying.

Mako's pistol had just cleared his holster when he heard a rapid _blam blam blam_ from behind him as all three men suddenly fell back and slumped unmoving to the ground. Mako turned over his shoulder and saw Korra slightly crouched with a smoking pistol in her hand. She scanned the three bodies on the ground in front of her, then calmly holstered her pistol with a twirl and straightened up. Mako took in the scene around him, aghast. In his first three weeks on the job, he had a shootout, a heavily armed stranger, a saloon full of terrified townsfolk and three dead bodies. In one day.

He looked at Korra and sighed, his shoulders slumping as he exhaled. "Now you're _definitely_ coming with me." He said, wondering just how much he was going to have to pay to compensate for the mess.

Well, what do you think, folks? I'll probably add a few more chapters to this, but I can expand it even further if that's what people want. I thought it was high time the Western category got some use, and I was also inspired by the song 'Big Iron', which I first picked up from Fallout: New Vegas.

As always, criticism and comments are welcome. Enjoy!


	2. Lockup

Mako was fairly certain that Lin Beifong had never once been in a _good_ mood, per se. The closest thing he'd ever seen to a _good_ mood was a grudging compliment before returning to her usual surly state. But Lin wasn't just surly. She was _livid_. A quiet, furious calm came over her as she stared across her desk at Korra, who was currently leaning back in her chair with her feet up on Lin's desk and that infuriating grin on her face.

"Let me get this straight" Lin growled, rubbing her temples in frustration. "You come into _my_ town in complete violation of the no weapons law, you argue with my deputy when he attempts to disarm you, you _shoot_ three citizens of my town, and you expect to just be let go and carry on like nothing happened?"

"In my defense" Korra replied, "The men I killed were trying to kill your deputy, and they didn't exactly seem like saints based on what I saw of them." "Unloved or not, they're still _my_ responsibility! You should have let Mako deal with it, he can shoot just as well as you can, and he's got a _license_ to do it! Now, after all that, you refuse to surrender your weapons, and at this point I think my only option is to lock you up for a few days to send a message to you, and the rest of the town, that you can't stroll in here armed to the teeth and just _kill_ three people out of the blue!"

Korra bristled at that, the good-natured grin dropping from her face as her voice, and expression, grew cold. "I'm afraid I can't allow that to happen." Lin rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah? What authority do you have to tell me how to keep the peace in this town?"

Korra was silent for a few moments, seemingly deep in thought, until she nodded to herself, reached under her jacket, and drew a blue-white circular badge from under her vest. "I have the authority of a White Lotus Marshal. Now release me."

Mako stood there, shocked, but Lin just laughed and made a dismissive gesture. "You think that fancy badge holds any merit here? I haven't seen a marshal in these parts in five years, so to be honest, you and your badge can get stuffed if you think you can just waltz in here and start giving orders after leaving me to take care of this town all by myself. I told you that you'll be disarmed and face justice, and I meant it."

"And I told _you_ " Korra snapped, "That I had urgent business here that far outweighs your need to wave your badge around and try to act like you're important!" Lin just shook her head. "You keep going on about how important your _business_ is, so why don't you enlighten me? Tell me why a White Lotus Marshal can suddenly stroll into town and ask the world of someone who's been doing _real_ peacekeeping since before they were alive!"

Again, Korra lapsed into silent thought, and after an even longer pause, she spoke quietly, but with a steely tone in her voice. "I'm here" she said, "to hunt down four individuals who escaped from federal prisons across the country, and who are personally responsible for the murders of nineteen other White Lotus Marshals, and bring them back alive or dead." She took a deep breath and locked eyes with Lin.

"I'm hunting for the Red Lotus gang."

 _How'd I do, folks? Do let me know if you have any requests, advice or criticism, and thanks for reading. Hope you're enjoying the story so far!_


	3. Ambush

Marshal Jie Tanzu nervously clutched the shotgun in his lap as the Varrick Courier Wagon carefully wound its way through one of the seemingly endless narrow canyons that were dotted throughout the approach to Zaofu. Yang, the wagon driver, hadn't told him what was in the stagecoach, but judging by the way he scanned the slopes of the pass on either side of him, it was very, very valuable.

Tanzu couldn't help but feel defeated as he sat beside the wagon driver, making his way further east. For a whole month he'd searched the lost and lonely places of the desert for the Red Lotus gang, at some points going as far south as the border town of Terra Fuego, but he'd spent his time chasing phantoms, and now he was admitting defeat and heading to Zaofu to catch a riverboat back east.

He was busy thinking of what few scraps of concrete information he could pass on to whoever took over his case when he heard Sanzu, the man who was riding on the back end of the coach, let out a sort of cough that trailed away to a soft gurgle. Tanzu cocked his shotgun as Yang whipped the horses from a brisk trot into a gallop. Carefully, he leaned out of his seat and looked back at the road behind him, only to catch a brief glimpse of Sanzu lying face down on the road in a pool of blood before he heard a sudden _bang_ , crying out as something struck his arm with searing pain and enough force to throw him from the wagon.

He lay in the road and watched as Yang whipped his horses into a frenzy before he saw a woman who must have been at least six foot tall stand up from her position concealed behind a boulder, a Winchester rifle in her hands. Tanzu didn't even have time to yell a warning before the woman fired a shot at the carriage. A wild shot flew back, presumably from Yang, but Tanzu watched as the woman simply fired another round that sent him too sprawling onto the road, stone dead. A bald man in a gray vest and trousers jumped onto the road just ahead of the horses and seized one, slowing them to a stop as a muscular man with shaggy black hair and a collection of tattoos left his hiding place in the back of the wagon, followed by a young woman who was casually wiping blood he could only assume to be Sanzu's from her pair of bowie knives.

"Nice job, P'li!" The tall, tattooed man called to the tall woman with the rifle. "Good to see that me and Ming-Hua aren't doing all the work ourselves this time!" The tall woman shouted back something unintelligible, then began to make her way down the slope, presumably heading to help the bald man settle the horses. Tanzu watched as the woman with the knives trotted over to Yang and kicked him viciously in the ribs. He sat up and groaned, whereupon she seized him by his hair and calmly slit his throat. Meanwhile, the tattooed man crawled back into the stagecoach, whereupon he rummaged around for a while, then let out a sudden roar of triumph. P'li, Ming-Hua and the bald man all rushed to the back of the wagon where the tattooed man was withdrawing a small metal box with what looked like…airholes?

"Do you have it, Ghazan?" the bald man said, excitedly. "All there, Zaheer" Ghazan replied. "Three Silver Venom Bush Scorpions, all very much alive." Ming-Hua cheered at that, doing an excited dance that seemed oddly girlish contrasted with the bloody knives in her hands.

Tanzu's blood-at least, the blood which hadn't flowed out of his wounds-went cold. Zaheer. P'li. Ghazan. Ming-Hua. The Red Lotus gang right in front of him, just as he had given up searching. His shooting arm was pretty near destroyed by receiving a shotgun blast at close range, but he could aim just fine with his off hand. Quietly, slowly, he reached over to his right hip and drew his pistol, then carefully raised it with a slightly shaky hand and took aim at Zaheer. As he lined up the sights, he felt a flash of annoyance at his weakened aim.

And then Tanzu didn't feel anything at all.

Zaheer calmly holstered his pistol and didn't even bother to glance over his shoulder at the marshal's body. He continued speaking from where he left off as he stared down at the metal box that contained all his plans had hoped for over the past few years. He simply gazed down in awe, so enraptured that he didn't notice Ming-Hua filleting the marshal with the same efficiency she'd used on the other two men.

Ghazan spoke up, snapping Zaheer out of his contemplation. "Will our fallen friend's replacement notice this?" Zaheer shook his head. "Aiwei will cover for us. Now get back to the horses and get ready to leave while I deal with the wagon." He smiled a cruel, cunning smile. "We've got a few day's ride to Ba Sing Se. And we finally have what we need to do what we've always dreamed of."

The others smiled too at that. "I can hardly wait." Ming-Hua said, with a wolfish grin on her face and the Marshal's blood drying on her knives in the searing desert heat.

 _Well, hope I'm keeping up the standard of quality, such as it is, and feedback and reviews (such as the amazing anonymous rex's) are very much appreciated. Just a little piece to show off our villains, I'll try and have something more substantial up over the weekend._

 _Enjoy!_


	4. Settled In?

"The Red Lotus?" Lin asked Korra, her façade of disinterest replaced by a rapt focus on the Marshal. "They're out?" Korra nodded in reply. "Yes ma'am, and it's my job to track them down. I just got back from scouting the areas near the fire nation border, and I'm here to buy some supplies and ask around for any information." Lin paused and thought for a moment. "You can stay." She said.

"I wasn't asking if I could." Korra snorted. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go get myself a room and some lunch at that saloon of yours." "No, you won't." Lin interjected. "The men you killed had friends, hard as it is to believe, and they'll probably kill you, or at least try, and whether or not they succeed, it's certain that I'll have more dead townsfolk on my hands. You can stay at the Mission with Pastor Tenzin and his family, just outside of town. Mako will take you there."

"Thanks!" Korra said, that happy spark back in her eyes as she left the jailhouse so fast that Mako had to run to catch up with her. "Miss, I think you're confused, the Mission's the other way!" he shouted, as he saw her sprinting back towards the saloon. He cursed as Korra ducked around the side of the saloon, and he had to put on an extra burst of speed to catch up with her.

"What the hell are you-" he began, but fell silent as he saw Korra gently rubbing the nose of a beautiful pale-white horse. "I can't go anywhere without Naga." Korra said, untying the horse from the post to which she was bound and heaving herself up into the saddle. "Now let's go!" she said, and broke into a trot as Mako walked beside her.

"You need supplies? Bullets? Anything like that?" Mako asked, as he walked beside her. "I could use some more ammunition, yeah." Korra replied. "Over there." Mako pointed out a rather large building on the outskirts of town with a large furnace outside. "That's Asami's workshop-she's our gunsmith. You'll probably run into her at the Mission, she spends a lot of time up there."

He pointed Korra down a narrow canyon carved into the rock face that dominated the Northwestern face of the town. "That there is Yue Pass. It used to be a riverbed, that's why you can still find nuggets of gold here washed downstream from the old mines. Those little bits of gold were what let me and my brother buy our ranch. We used to comb the pass for hours every day, looking for 'em."

Korra gave a low whistle. "I guess I should keep my eyes on the dirt, then. I might find enough gold for another round of that overpriced sludge your saloon calls beer." Mako chuckled at that. "Yeah, it's pretty bad, but it's the only place in town where you can get a drink, so it does good business. And most of the prospectors don't care what they drink when they get back from the Glittering Flats."

They entered the pass, Korra's hooves echoing off of the rock walls as they trudged on in silence. "See those caves up there?" Mako pointed to a series of openings carved into the rock. "There's dead men in 'em. Old Fire Nation soldiers who got cut off in the canyon during a border raid. Armed Mission members on one side of them and the Army on the other. They dug into the cliffside and tried to take shelter, but eventually food ran low and most of them charged down the canyon right into the guns of the army, trying to break out. The sheriff has an old bayonet and some spent cartridges she found in the caves when she was a girl."

"Creepy." Korra replied, and they trotted the rest of the way in near silence. "There we are." Mako said, as they rounded the bend in the canyon to reveal a compound with high walls of dry mud sitting on a mesa overlooking the vast, empty dunes around it. "It's more comfortable than it looks from the outside." Mako said, as he walked with Korra across the wastes. "They've got wells for drinking water, and a few crops and livestock. The rooms are pretty comfortable, too, and the folk out there are peaceful. They'll let you go about your business with no trouble."

"Much obliged!" Korra said, and suddenly she whooped and tapped Naga's sides with her heels and the two galloped away over the sands, leaving Mako in the dust behind him. He watched her gallop away, stunned at her abruptness, then threw up his hands in exasperation and began the long walk back to town.

Korra smiled at the feeling of the wind in her hair as she and Naga galloped across the plains, leaving the ranger in her dust. Naga had been tied up for a while and enjoyed the chance to run flat-out, and very soon Korra found herself in front of the gate to the inside of the small fortress.

"Hello up there!" Korra called, and very soon a figure appeared atop the walls. "Hello!" the young woman cried back. "What's your business here!" "I'm Korra, a White Lotus Marshal!" she replied. "Sheriff Beifong said I could stay here for a day or two!" the young woman nodded and shouted something down into the courtyard, and soon the gates swung open and Korra found that same young woman greeting her with a smile. "I'm Jinora" she said, beckoning Korra into the fort. "Welcome to El Caldera Mission."

Before long, Jinora had introduced her to her brother and sisters; fast-talking, precocious Ikki and the brash and confident Meelo. She led Korra inside the central building of the Mission, down cool, dim hallways to what appeared to be some sort of study. "This is my father's private den." Jinora said. "He'll want to meet you. Head on in." Korra knocked at the door and saw a large, bearded man in a pastor's vestments open it.

Korra could tell from the roughness of Pastor Tenzin's palms and the way he carried himself that Pastor Tenzin hadn't always been a man of faith. He was perfectly polite as he chatted with Korra, but something told her that if she'd put a gun in his hands he'd be more than capable with it. He chatted with her about trivial things for the most part, but almost, but not quite managed to intimidate Korra for a moment when he'd made it clear in no uncertain terms that any action that threatened his flock or his family would be met by 'an appropriate response.' Some of his tone must have affected Korra, because Jinora nodded knowingly when Korra left Tenzin's study.

"Yeah, dad can be a little overbearing sometimes" she said, leading Korra towards the guesthouse, "but he means well. Mom's a lot nicer to strangers, but dad just wants to protect us." She led Korra into a fairly spacious, well-lit room, with some antique, but sturdy furniture. "I'll leave you to get settled in, although you're more than welcome to join us for dinner. Just head to the main building when you hear the bell ring." "Thank you." Korra said, and Jinora turned and headed back outside.

Korra had just started to settle in when she found, of all people, Mako at her door. "What, don't tell me I broke _another_ law." Korra drawled. Mako shook his head, his expression grave. "No, it's not that. I thought you'd like to know, Sheriff Lin got a telegraph about half an hour ago. A stagecoach between here and Zaofu got hit, and a Marshal's been found dead. Zaofu thinks it's the Red Lotus."

...

Hello, everyone! (or at least, presumably there are more than just one person reading the story, and I'm justified in using the plural.) So sorry about the long hiatus, there were technical difficulties and I was in Europe on a tour of military history there, which was fascinating and bizarrely gave me some new ideas for the series. I hammered this one out as quickly as I could, to reassure people that I'm still alive, and I'm hoping to do at least one more chapter on Sunday. Unfortunately, I regret to inform you that I'll have to take another hiatus shortly after this one for another trip, this time a family visit. But I'll try and put out as much work as I can for you in the time that I have.

As always, comments, concerns, suggestions and reviews are always welcome, and my deepest apologies for the delay!


	5. Got the scent

Night was falling over the desert as three swift riders set out over the darkening plain. Mako took the lead, riding his horse, Pabu, nimbly through the pass, heading back towards the town and the pass that led to Zaofu. Korra rode behind him, anxiously running her hand across the stock of the Winchester slung across her saddle, while behind them came Jinora, who, after much argument, had managed to allow Tenzin to let her come along to tend to any wounded that might be there.

"Not a scratch, Marshal!" Tenzin had called as the three of them had ridden through the Mission's gates. Korra had simply responded with a grim nod and a tip of her hat, but Tenzin needn't have worried. Jinora was keeping pace with them with no trouble, and rode well despite the gathering darkness and the exhaustion all three of them were feeling.

"We should reach the pass by dark if we pick up the pace a bit!" Mako called over his shoulder. Korra obligingly whooped and spurred Naga into a wild gallop, with Mako and Jinora picking up the pace accordingly. Despite the fact that she'd gone without rest the whole day, Korra felt more refreshed than ever. Action of any kind made her feel alive, and her fingers were drumming a tattoo on the stock of the rifle, eager to avenge Tanzu.

They reached the pass where the wagon had been ambushed as the last fingers of light were fading from the sky. The caravan sat slightly hunched on its wheels, its back door kicked in and one wheel almost shot off, with the darkened forms of what could only be bodies strewn about on the blood-stained earth, eerily illuminated by a small fire in the center of the pass.

"I don't like this." Korra muttered, reigning Naga in to a stop as she scanned the pass for any sign of movement. "Who lights a fire and just walks away?"

"Could the Zaofu guard have lit it?" Jinora suggested, joining Korra in peering into the darkness. Mako shrugged and drew his pistol. "Standing here won't tell us anything." He said, sending Pabu into a trot. "We'll just have to be careful. Now let's check this out." Korra and Jinora followed behind them, Naga whinnying nervously at the stillness that had fallen over the place. Save for the crackling of the fire, all was calm.

This changed in an instant as the crack of a rifle split the air and a bullet went whizzing past Korra, who quickly unslung the rifle and raised it to her shoulder, searching into the darkness with the stillness of a statue. Mako cocked his pistol and kept his eyes fixed on the slopes of the pass, while Jinora, unarmed, dismounted and quickly dashed behind a boulder, nervously peering out from behind her shelter for any sign of movement.

Another two shots rang out in the dark, one at Korra, who fired off three rounds in the general direction of the bullet, and one at Mako, who flung himself down as it ripped through the air above him, already firing at the brief muzzle flash he'd spotted on the slope. He quickly got up and dashed behind the cover of the stagecoach, Korra quickly joining him there.

"Looks like it's just some son of a bitch who wants to snipe at us." Korra hissed, loading another round into her rifle. "I don't think there's more than two or three of 'em, at most." The night air was split by the sound of three separate shots slamming into the wagon, whereupon Mako rounded on the flash of one of the shots and rapidly fired four rounds into the night.

All was silent for a moment more, until the pass lit up with seven or eight separate flashes as a hail of bullets whipped through the air around the carriage. Mako swore and ducked back into cover as a bullet thunked into the dirt right next to him, while Korra leaned out and carefully fired at whoever exposed themselves by shooting, feeding in cartridges with one hand as she aimed with the other.

Her rifle barked eight times in rapid succession as she sent round after round into the hills, before pulling back to retrieve another handful of cartridges from the bandolier slung across her body. Mako fed another six rounds into the cylinder of his revolver, then snapped it shut and listened to the silence that had descended again all too briefly before another salvo split the stillness wide open with a hail of lead as Korra and Mako responded in kind.

Jinora was crouched behind the rock, wishing desperately that she was a decent shot and had a gun of her own, watching the sporadic battle play out as Korra stepped into the open, silhouetted in the gunfire, and began hollering for all she was worth as she shot back at their attackers. Suddenly she saw movement in the corner of her eye and turned to see a figure rising up from behind a rock no more than a few feet away from her, rifle aimed squarely at her as it gleamed in the moonlight. She turned fully and froze in fear and shock, waiting for the deafening bang that would signal the end of her life, only to watch as her assailant paused and said something like 'huh', is rifle barrel dipping slightly as he stared.

She found that raw survival instinct broke her paralysis as she took advantage of the pause and flung herself at the figure, howling in rage and desperation as she hit him squarely in the jaw and tackled him to the floor, sending the rifle tumbling from his grasp. She struck out with her boots as the two became entangled with each other, yet despite his slight frame her attacker showed surprising strength as he seized her in one arm with a grip of iron, sweeping her legs out from under her as he stood and dragged her in front of him out onto the main road before seizing her tightly as he drew his pistol with his free hand and fired two shots into the air.

The night fell silent once more as Korra peered out from behind the wagon at the unexpected sound, surprise changing rapidly to anger as she saw Jinora held fast and raised her rifle. But the young man quickly raised his pistol and fired a round that took Korra's hat right off her head, so close her scalp felt the bullet passing just above it, before he straightened up and placed the pistol squarely against Jinora's temple.

"If I were you, Miss, I'd call off your shootin' and hear me out, lest the young lady here gets a dose of lead between her ears." He called, in a surprisingly youthful voice. Korra held the rifle raised for a moments, then slumped her shoulders and placed it on the ground. The boy nodded and lessened the pressure of the pistol against Jinora's head.

"Thank you kindly. Now step into the open along with your friend, I'll call off my boys, and we can talk." There was a brief pause before both Korra and Mako had stepped into the open. "Right then, let's talk, you damned thief." Korra spat, picking up her hat from where it lay on the ground and placing it back on her head as she glared at the young man with unbridled hostility.

The young man just chuckled and shook his head. "No need to be so angry, miss. You'll find I'm a reasonable man. I just need a few things from you." "Who are you?" Mako growled, hand instinctively reaching for his gun. The young man grinned and raised his hat to reveal a tanned, dark-haired and dark-eyed face that looked both disarmingly honest and every bit as smug as a cat who'd caught the canary and then struck gold the same day.

"Allow me to introduce myself. Name's Kai Onawei, and I'm the most handsome, witty and sharp-shootin' half-breed from here to Bitter Flats. And before either of you get any bad notions about me, I don't make a habit of robbing stagecoaches or killing pretty girls, so you can relax. Now if you'd kindly hand over your coin and your cartidges…"

Korra stepped forward, stopping as Kai pointed the gun squarely at her. "I'm Korra, a White Lotus Marshal" she said, "My companion is Mako, deputy to the town of Nueva Republica, and that young woman there is Jinora Gyatso, Pastor Gyatso's eldest daughter."

Kai froze for a moment, considering the information, then he exhaled and his shoulders slumped as he let go of Jinora and lowered his gun. "Is that so?" he muttered, his eyes on his boots. "Aw, shit." He suddenly took notice of Jinora again. "Pardon my language, miss. I just didn't expect to have a go at such an important little group." He sighed more heavily and waved up at the hillside. "Come on down, boys, the jig's up. Make sure to help Takano keep his weight off his wounded leg."

Kai rubbed the back of his neck and cast his eyes downwards, tipping his hat to Korra and Mako. "Sorry about trying to rob you both. We just needed some food and ammo." He kicked a small stone by his foot and muttered something under his breath. "And he said it was easy money."

Mako perked up. "Who told you that? Did someone put you up to this?" Kai nodded. "Yeah, big bald guy, tall, skinny woman with some wicked knives, some tattooed brute with a shotgun and a woman so tall you could put a bell round her neck and call her a damn church tower." He paused and nodded to Jinora. "Again, pardon my language, Miss."

Korra walked up to Kai and looked him square in the eye. "Whatever they paid you to get you to do their work, I will triple it if you tell me everything you know about them and where they're going." She said. Kai grinned and a flash of mischief came into his eye. "Ma'am, pay me and my boys triple what they paid us and I can take you right to them." He said. Korra smiled and shook hands with him. "Deal."

"Right then," Kai said, holstering his pistol with a flourish. "Grab your weapons, mount up and follow us. We'll take you to our camp." He smiled still wider as his men began to emerge from the rocky slopes. "We've got us some business to discuss."

Well, how was it, everyone? If there was anything in this chapter you liked, or if you have any requests, comments or concerns, feel free to review and tell me all about whatever it is you want to talk about. I'm trying to make the chapters longer, so that's why they may be taking a bit longer to come out, but I'll be brainstorming and writing whenever I can for the two weeks I'm away, so hopefully I can start putting these out a bit faster. Thanks for reading!

Maple


	6. Hit the trail

Korra savored the taste of the strong coffee on her tongue as she sat by the fire in the heart of Kai's camp. She had stayed up all night talking with Kai about their deal, and as dawn approached they fell to making idle conversation. Kai's men were beginning to awaken, but even as they laughed and joked with one another they never quite took their attention from Korra, Mako and Jinora, or their hands from their weapons.

Mako was seated against a rock close to the fire, his hat tipped low over his eyes and his hand on his pistol. Jinora, meanwhile, had drifted off to sleep in a far less paranoid fashion, curled up against another rock close to the fire. Korra had been surprised to see Kai rise from his seat and fetch a blanket to cover Jinora, but when she looked at him quizzically he just shrugged and went back to discussing business.

As the sun began to rise, Kai stood up and stretched, cracking his neck and brushing the dust off of himself. "You ready to head down to the pass, Marshal Korra?" he asked, snatching up his pistol still in its holster and fastening it to his hips as he walked. "We'd best get movin' so we don't lose too much time buying supplies back in town. And-" his voice softened, and he lowered his eyes respectfully-"I reckon you'll want to see your man down there by the wagon. I had a man down there to scare the vultures and coyotes off."

"Thank you" Korra said, and they walked in silence save for the crunch of their boots on the loose stone as they picked their way down the narrow trail towards the pass. They stepped out into the scene of the wagon ambush as the light in the sky became much clearer, illuminating the form of Marshal Jie Tanzu stretched out dead upon the ground, his right side peppered with buckshot, his throat cut, and a bullet between his eyes. His face still bore that same look of determination even in death, his eyes still fixed on the spot where the Red Lotus Gang had been standing.

Korra sighed and knelt, removing the badge from his vest, now stained with blood, along with a pouch from around his neck containing a picture of a young girl and a small wooden token inscribed with his name, place of birth, and rank.

"He was a coal miner's son, from Black Hills" Korra said to Kai. "He had a little orphan girl he'd taken in, named Luan, and taught her everything he knew. She's a Marshal now. He taught me how to play the guitar, and he liked music and wide open spaces." She clenched the leather pouch in her fist and placed it around her own neck, eyes filled with a cold anger. "Those sons of bitches, he damn near had them when they got him, so I'll finish his work. A Marshal always gets their man. Even in death."

She straightened up and walked over to where their horses were tied. "Wake up Mako and Jinora." She said, slinging her weapons to her saddlebag. "Let's get back to town as soon as we can."

Kai found himself in the awkward position of riding next to Jinora, who sat tall in the saddle without so much as turning her head towards Kai. Her displeasure at the situation was matched only by his embarrassment.

"I, uh…" Kai paused and rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to say as Jinora turned to face him. "I'm…Sorry about-well, y'know, putting a gun to your head and all that. I wasn't going to do nothin', anyhow." He grinned slightly. "Truth be told, I didn't have any bullets left after I shot Marshal Korra's hat off."

Jinora looked at him with an expression of curiosity and suspicion. "Why do you rob folks like us, anyway? Honest day's work too tough for you?" Kai, to her surprise, smiled sadly. "I rob because I can't go home again, and I've yet to find a place that'll take half-breeds like me. Governor Hou-Ting ain't exactly keen on my sort either-although I suppose I couldn't judge her for that in my case." He chuckled to himself and patted the pistol on his hip. "Why can't you go home again?" Jinora asked, curious in spite of her dislike of the young man. Kai shrugged, and his smile got a little sadder. "It's a long story, Miss, and it's too fine a day to say it. I'll tell it to you some other time." Jinora didn't press the issue, and the two rode into town in silence.

Korra rode beside Mako, still surly from Kai having gotten the better of him. They were heading into town when they saw a man wearing a dark green greatcoat, a large sack slung over his shoulder. He waved enthusiastically as soon as he saw them, and Mako sighed and pressed one hand to his face. "Oh, that's just perfect." He spat, whipping Pabu into a trot.

"Why? Who's that?" Korra said, as the young man came into view to reveal that he was a fairly muscular man with an honest, cheerful face. "My idiot brother." Mako fumed, before he rose up in his saddle and shouted, "Bolin! What the hell are you doing out here!"

"I heard you were going looking for trouble!" Bolin shouted back, walking towards them. "I'm coming with you, to watch your back! I left Hasook to look after the ranch!" Mako snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. I wouldn't trust Hasook to look after a potted plant, let alone the damn ranch!"

"You know, you really sound like the sheriff when you do that kind of stuff." Bolin said. "And I already paid Hasook, so there's no point in me going back to the ranch, now is there?" Mako growled in frustration. "Fine! Come along with us, but if one of the horses dies, you're going to be working to pay for the new one!"

Bolin just smiled and untied a black horse from a post in front of the general store, swinging himself up into the saddle. "Fine by me!" he said. "Now finish up what you came here to do, then we go looking for bandits!" Mako just groaned and hunched low in the saddle as the sun began to rise over the plains.

A few minutes later Kai left the general store, saddlebags loaded with food and ammunition, and hopped up into the saddle. "The rest of my gang are staying behind, so it's just me guiding you" he said, excitement making him tense in the saddle as he turned towards the pass. "Now come on! We're riding for Zaofu!"

Hello again! Sorry for the lack of action in this one, but I'm just tying up loose ends before the next bit, which I'm going to cram chock-full of action! For now, I suppose you guys can have a look at Bolin. Sorry to disappoint, but it's all I've got for now. As always, please review if you like the story!

Maple


	7. Safe Haven

Kai let out a low whistle as he trotted out of the narrow confines of the canyon into the dusty flats that surrounded Zaofu. The town sprawled along the riverbank, the bustle of steam trains, paddleboats and stagecoaches mingling with the noise of construction as saloons, homes and stores were thrown up in all directions. "Every time I've been here, it seems like the town's doubled in size." He said, as the others left the canyon behind him. Korra took a swig from her water skin and paused, taking in the sight of the town framed by the dipping sun.

"It'll be dark in a few hours." She said, taking the lead. "You can take us to the place where the Red Lotus hired you tomorrow. For now, follow me. I'll find us a place to stay." With that, she urged Naga into a run and galloped towards the boomtown.

The streets were even more packed up close than they looked from a distance, miners, guns-for-hire, railwaymen and cowboys filling the dusty streets. "How do they keep order here?" asked Mako, astounded by the sheer amount of firepower on display.

"That bunch, that's how." Korra said, gesturing to a quartet of riders in green uniforms, sabers on their belts and carbines in their laps. "The Zaofu guard. The only groups tougher than them are the regular army and the White Lotus Marshals." The leader of the group of guards, a young woman with epaulettes on her shoulders, noticed Korra and pointed her out to her squad. They began trotting towards them, spread out in a semi-circle, and although they seemed relaxed, they raised their carbines slightly as they approached.

"Welcome to Zaofu, Marshal." The young woman said, her tone seeming to possess a natural authority. "I'm Kuvira, Captain of the Guard. What brings you here?" "Official government business." Korra replied, gesturing to the group behind her. "My name is Marshal Korra. I'm hunting a group of dangerous bandits, along with a posse led by myself and the Deputy of Nueva Republica, Mako." "Ah, Deputy Mako!" said Kuvira, arching one eyebrow. "Your town's gunsmith, Asami Sato, is here negotiating a deal with Mr. Varrick. She spoke of you." "What did she say?" Mako asked, reddening slightly. "Nothing terribly important." Kuvira replied, in a tone that could either have been deadpan sarcasm or simply a casual response. Mako slumped in his saddle slightly, and Korra noticed Bolin grinning as he nudged Mako with his elbow.

"If we might get down to business" Korra said, "We require room and board for the night before we can continue our search. Can I speak to Su, please?" "Of course" said Kuvira, holstering her carbine as she turned to the rest of her soldiers. "I'm taking them to the compound. Just continue your patrol as usual." The guards saluted and rode off as Kuvira led them towards the center of town. "Quiet tonight." Kuvira said, as she led them down the street. Korra turned in the saddle, feeling the pressure of someone staring at her, but when she turned it was impossible to see anything specific through the crush of people. She turned back towards Kuvira, slouching in the saddle. "Let's hope it stays that way." She said, as the sun dipped and the shadows lengthened behind her.

"That's them." P'Li said, pointing the retreating figure of Marshal Korra out to Zaheer as they stood on the balcony of the Lucky Hand Saloon. "Good." Said Zaheer, his arm around her waist as he turned to go back downstairs.

The saloon was filled with characters almost as mean as him, men who'd shoot their own fathers for a nugget of gold or even a mug of beer. The chatter was not simply harmless and trivial, it was dangerous, whispers of murder and bounties and splitting ill-gotten gains. Every man in that bar had a pistol prominently on his hip, and it was clear that no matter who you were, you were most definitely not welcome here.

Ghazan was seated in front of the surly, one-eyed bartender, watching Ming-Hua rake in the yuans at a knife-throwing game in the corner of the bar. "This place is great!" he said, grinning. "Suspect beer, tense atmosphere, loaded guns, the looks of hatred from complete strangers-why can't every place be like this?"

"We found the Marshal and her posse." P'li said. "We'll make our move tomorrow night." Ghazan beckoned Ming-Hua over, and she left her game considerably richer. "Watch my back." Zaheer said, as he moved towards a table at the center of the bar. Conversation grew hushed as he drew his pistol and placed it on the table, then went silent as he placed two nuggets of gold the size of a man's fist on the table. Every eye in the bar was fixed avariciously on the prize, and a gunfight would surely have broken out had P'li, Ming-hua and Ghazan not drawn their guns.

"Gentlemen." Zaheer said, his voice carrying across the room. "Who here is willing to kidnap a Marshal and kill her friends for a thousand dollars?"

 _Um...Hello, everyone! (ducks hail of thrown objects) Now, I know what you're going to say, and yes, I am super, super late in updating this story, but I couldn't find a way to make the chapter work, and before you know it, school showed up, so...yeah. Sorry._

 _However, I do NOT intend to abandon this story. I'll have a chapter for you by the end of the weekend, and if I don't, feel free to spam my inbox and call me any sort of names you like (bragging rights will be awarded to the most creative and/or insulting). Next chapter, gonna be introducing the Beifongs, Asami, Varrick and Zhu Li, and of course you've already met Kuvira. Hi Kuvira! Sorry about giving you a bit part in this chapter._

 _Also, I'm doing another story called Totality alongside Spirit of Sunset, so go read that! And then call me out because I didn't proofread and used the word 'calm' or some variation thereof four times in the same paragraph!_

 _Anyway, apologies, and thanks for reading and reviewing!_

 _Maple_


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